1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a semiconductor design technology, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device including a fuse array.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices generally have redundancy circuits for repairing failures that occur in internal circuits due to process imperfections.
For example, a large number of memory cells each having the same patterns are integrated in a memory chip (i.e., a semiconductor memory device). If a failure occurs in any one of the memory cells, the corresponding memory chip may be labeled as a defective product and discarded. As memory chips become more highly integrated, the number of memory cells increases. As the number of memory cells increase, the number of memory chips that are also increases, and due to this fact, mass-production of memory chips may be hindered. In order to repair defective cells, a conventional semiconductor memory device may utilize a fuse circuit and a redundancy cell array.
The fuse circuit may be used to set a specific value determined of defective memory cells through testing of the semiconductor device.
Recently, E-fuse circuits have been used as fuse circuits. Basically, an E-fuse circuit includes a transistor to be programmed in such a way as to rupture a gate dielectric by applying a high electric field to a gate electrode.
While an E-fuse circuit may be realized in various ways, an array E-fuse (ARE) circuit having unit fuse cells that are arranged in an array pattern is widely used. In general, the data programmed in the ARE circuit is read in the initializing (i.e., power-up) operation of a semiconductor device and is stored in registers, and then the stored data is used for the general operation of the semiconductor device. Such an operation of storing the programmed data in the registers is referred to as a boot-up operation.
A high voltage (or a boosted voltage) source, which is not used for general operation, is used for programming and reading the ARE circuit, and thus it may be important to stably generate such a high voltage.
It is assumed that a cell array for storing data is included in a semiconductor memory device, and even when a rupture voltage in an ARE circuit is not directly used in the operation of the cell array, the durability and reliability of the cell array may be degraded by a high rupture voltage.